Last Night

Moby is back where he belongs. He's checked out of 2005's 'Hotel' — and left behind the appropriately generic elevator music — to return to NYC's seedy nightclubs.

"To me," writes the man in the 'Last Night' liner notes, "this record sounds like a night out in New York, with all of the sex and the weirdness and the disorientation and the celebration and the compelling chaos."

He's clearly in his element. Without a trace of the self awareness or too-cool-for-school detachment that characterised his previous two outings, the 42-year-old unashamedly revisits the past 25 years spent out on the town.

So 'Ooh Yeah' adds a lazy big beat to glittering '70s Gloria Gaynor pop; 'Everyday It's 1989' is a hi-NRG ride on time back to the days of Black Box and Technotronic; 'I Love To Move In Here' is the sound of Ibiza circa 1989 complemented by scratching and a guest appearance from rap pioneer Grandmaster Caz; the funky 'Disco Lies' is the soundtrack to an early '90s house party; while the tireless 'The Stars' is the easiest way to leap back 15 years without a time machine.

But, with Moby's obvious fondness for the music, this is no retro cheese. Most of 'Last Night' is filled with such giddy enthusiasm (and the occasional knowing wink) that it sounds fresh and vital, even when the beats per minute drop.

'Live For Tomorrow' is a soaring torch song: diva vocals enveloped by Moby's pulsing electronics (think Shirley Bassey performing in the restaurant at the end of the universe), 'Sweet Apocalypse' is icy cool trance, and the sultry slice of chill-out that is the title track is the soundtrack to the drugs wearing off. It's hard to come down after a party like this.

But, like every night out, there are a few bum tracks to clear out the dancefloor — the repetitive '257.zero' must be the soundtrack to some cheap 'n nasty 'Star Trek' ripoff; the drone of 'Hyenas' is (thankfully) one of the few times Moby himself gets behind the mic; and 'Mothers Of The Night' is bland background music for a trendy wine bar. Or another hotel.